AtQ – What Do You Want?
Asking the Deeper Questions
Growing up as an only child can have its advantages. In the best of cases, the child receives an excessive amount of attention – all of the attention in fact – from their parents. In my case, my only competition was my father’s work. Which, in reality, was little competition, if any. My dad made sure of it. My folks also treated me as a full fledged member of the family from as early as I can remember. That meant I got asked about my preferences a lot. What do you want to eat? Where do you want to go? Do you want this or that? All were common questions.
This week’s Talking Note explores the tension between the things we pursue and the natural consequences of those pursuits. Quite often our pursuits come with unintended or even undesired consequences. The question I’ve found powerful to unlock the reality of the situation is one of simple proportions.
What do you want?
We are always operating from a position of navigating competing desires. For example, I want to eat food that is good for my body. I also want the taste – the experience of eating – foods that I know are not good for my body. Which desire wins out is a matter of priority – sometimes depending on the day. Having awareness of and working to order my desires is exceptionally important.